Creating sustainable healthcare by turning energy data challenges into actionable insights

Client Overview

Our client who is a part of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, operates a network of hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities that provide a wide range of medical services. They partnered with MRI Software to transform the management of energy data across its extensive healthcare network and help position themselves as a forerunner in sustainable healthcare.

Business Challenges

1. Mandatory Net Zero legislation: In response to the UK government’s emission reduction targets, our client faced the challenge of achieving a 100% reduction on 1990s levels by 2040.
2. Monitoring consumption, costs and emissions: They were also challenged with reporting on monthly consumption, costs, and emissions for boards and sites. This involved navigating a vast network to gather, analyse, and interpret data to ensure alignment with sustainability goals.
3. Proactive intervention: Our client sought to pinpoint areas and specific sites requiring support using future emissions factors to forecast milestones in 2025, 2030, 2035, and 2040.
4. Performance comparison across financial years: They needed to establish an understanding of their energy utilisation trends, costs, and emissions over time to inform strategic decision-making and effectively compare performance metrics across financial years.
5. Communication and awareness: They were required to communicate key insights to stakeholders to raise awareness and accountability throughout the organisation.
6. Data quality assurance: Lastly, our client also needed to identify data quality issues and rectify incorrect billing. They needed a tool to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data underpinning decision-making processes.

MRI eSight Energy Management Software

As a comprehensive energy management platform, MRI eSight was chosen to help address a variety of complex energy challenges, noting the system’s ability to streamline data management using a single repository for a range of utility data types.

More specifically, the client chose eSight and MRI Software to support:

• Tailored Energy Reports: Creating a specialised group of energy reports aligned with their unique requirements.
• Organisational Support: eSight actively supported their data collection exercise and system administration to maximise the use of the technology.
• Functional Expertise and Training: eSight provided essential functional expertise and training, helping to upskill the users for optimal system utilisation.

Energy Data Management

The challenges our client faced possessed a common theme that prevented them from achieving their vision of sustainability: Data management. To address this, MRI helped identify the different types of data they needed and processed them using MRI eSight. These included:

• A wide range of utility data – Grid and Renewable Electricity, Gas, Oil, HFO, Derv, DH, Kero, LPG, Biomass, Water, Waste Water and Effluent.
• Half-hourly AMR data from onsite meters.
• Historical data – Data from 2015 and board-level historical data from 1989/90 (including legacy fossil fuels).
• Data quality – Incoming data checked for completeness, errors and duplication.
• Monthly invoiced consumption and cost from suppliers.
• Degree Day and CO2 emission factors.

Core Business Benefits

The implementation of MRI eSight Energy Management Software marked the ongoing commitment the client has to create a sustainable and efficient future, as well as providing several core business benefits:

• Automated Reporting: Time-consuming reporting tasks were automated, freeing resources for strategic initiatives.
• Data Quality Assurance: MRI eSight enabled them to identify data quality issues and ensure accuracy in billing.
• Performance Monitoring: The system facilitated the monitoring of targets, ROI on energy projects, and future emissions forecasts.
• Energy-Saving Opportunities: The client can now efficiently identify and capitalise on energy-saving opportunities, contributing to a sustainable future.
• Board Communication: Key results were effectively communicated to the board, helping to promote awareness and accountability.

Summary

One year into the partnership, our client continues to thrive with the story many healthcare organisations aspire for. The alignment of their vision, strategic energy management technology and ongoing support from MRI Software have helped them position their organisation as a leader in sustainable healthcare practices.